marathon

/ˈmæɹəθən/

//ˈmæɹəθən// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"marathon" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“marathon” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,520. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,520
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A 42.195-kilometre (26-mile-385-yard) road race.

Corpus desk

Index EN-marathon · marathon · English

marathon · rank #5,520 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,520
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Manhattan

Nearest frequency peer: Manhattan (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “marathon”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “marathon” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

marathon vs Marston
63% similar
marathon vs Marathi
63% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for marathon
PropertyValue
Headwordmarathon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmæɹəθən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#5,520
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “marathon”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).marathonlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Manhattan” (#5,519), “marvel” (#5,521), “Michelle” (#5,522). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “marathon” is #5,520. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around marathon (IPA /ˈmæɹəθən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,520 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for marathon, with forms such as "amrathon", "maarthon", and "marahton". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Marston", "Marathi", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French marathon, coined in 1894 by linguist Michel Bréal for the first modern time Olympic Games after Ancient Greek Μαραθών (Marathṓn), a town northeast of Athens. Phidippides the Greek ran the distance from Marathon to Athens to deliver a message reg… The correct English form is marathon, spelled M-A-R-A-T-H-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A 42.195-kilometre (26-mile-385-yard) road race.
  2. 2
    Any extended or sustained activity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how marathon appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He had a cleaning marathon the night before his girlfriend came over.
  2. I learned from the marathon that to finish a race you simply keep running.

Etymology

From French marathon, coined in 1894 by linguist Michel Bréal for the first modern time Olympic Games after Ancient Greek Μαραθών (Marathṓn), a town northeast of Athens. Phidippides the Greek ran the distance from Marathon to Athens to deliver a message regarding the Battle of Marathon. The modern sport of marathon running is based on a run approximately the same distance. The toponym itself comes from μάραθον (márathon, “fennel”) and refers to the prevalence of the plant in the area.

This word in other languages

maratón(Español)marathon(Français)Marathon(Deutsch)maratona(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amrathon
  • maarthon
  • marahton
  • marathhon
  • marathno
  • marathonn
  • maratohn
  • maratthon
  • marrathon
  • martahon
  • mmarathon
  • mraathon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of marathon - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

amrathon2maarthon2marahton2marathhon1marathno2marathonn1maratohn2maratthon1
Edit distance from "marathon"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "marathon"?
"marathon" is spelled M-A-R-A-T-H-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæɹəθən/.
What does "marathon" mean?
As a noun, "marathon" means: A 42.195-kilometre (26-mile-385-yard) road race.
What words are commonly confused with "marathon"?
"marathon" is commonly confused with "Marston", "Marathi". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "marathon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "marathon" is /ˈmæɹəθən/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "marathon"?
From French marathon, coined in 1894 by linguist Michel Bréal for the first modern time Olympic Games after Ancient Greek Μαραθών (Marathṓn), a town northeast of Athens. Phidippides the Greek ran the distance from Marathon to Athens to deliver a m... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "marathon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Michelle#5,522moreover#5,523paradise#5,529infinite#5,507

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Manhattan12 variantsscratch12 variantssunshine12 variantsbenjamin12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list